Industry-Led Student Projects

Industry-led Projects for York Computer Science students

We recognise the importance of maintaining industrial/commercial contexts in our students' development. That is why every year we seek to have a number of industry-linked student dissertation projects, both for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Every year our BSc, BEng, MEng and MSc students undertake a wide‌ range of final year (dissertation) projects covering topics as diverse as usability-analysis, digital circuit design, software development and evaluation, cryptography and security, and many other topics. For many students this can be the defining academic aspect of their final year at York.

We also understand the importance of including real industrial and commercial contexts to our student's experience. To augment our industrial placement year scheme, we maintain the opportunity for industrially linked final projects. We therefore welcome enquiries from business and industry with respect to an industrially linked student project.

Such projects create valuable experiences for the student, but they can also help to build new and ongoing collaborations with departments and companies, with the potential to tap into funding streams designed for industry-academic research and development.

Undergraduate project offers are usually made to the students in the Spring Term (January - March), and enquiries are ideally welcomed in the Autumn Term (October - December). However, enquiries at any time of the year are encouraged so we can plan ahead for the next project cycle. 

Want to know more ?

You can start the ball rolling simply by completing our Expression Of Interest Form which will allow us to identify suitable staff members who can then contact you to discuss the feasibility of your idea. Please also take the time to read our 'summary of expectations' on the next tab, which outlines what the scope of such a project association would entail on both sides.

Expectations

The Department of Computer Science offers the possibility of an industrially linked project on the basis of certain expectations for both parties (the University and the industrial collaborator). Please read our guidance below before deciding if you are able to enter into an industrially linked project partnership in these general terms. It is of course possible to discuss variations to these arrangements in some cases.

What the University of York expects to facilitate :

• To give you, as the industrial partner, if you wish to do so, the opportunity to participate in a 30 minute supervision meeting every fortnight in term time, with academic supervisor and student present.
• To provide a response to questions relating to progress of the work being undertaken in a reasonable time-scale, bearing in mind that responding may require discussion between supervisor and student and this will introduce some delay.
• To provide a copy of the final report and any artefacts (e.g. programs hardware, etc) to you, as the industrial partner. In the case of hardware, cost of required components and assembly should be covered by you, the industrial partner.

What you, as the industrial partner, should expect to offer:

• To participate in at least two project supervisions per term, either in person, via teleconference, or via Skype (or other suitable alternatives).
• To cover the costs of any meetings and/or site visits off-campus which are at your request. Agreement of such visits is at the discretion of the academic supervisor. If these are frequent, costs may reasonably reflect staff time as well as incidental costs.
• To make best efforts to ensure that there is a single regular contact person available to liaise with the project student and academic supervisor (rather than a succession of different staff), and provide timely response to questions.

Additional notes:

• Supervisors are not normally expected to act as project consultants to the company as part of the project, as their role is as an academic supervisor. Such consultancy arrangements are not prohibited, but would require additional consideration and negotiation, and are not guaranteed to be approved.
• In the event that a company has to withdraw its formal support for a project due to its own circumstances, we would expect that the company to continue as far as is possible to make available until the end of the project any resources, licences, and similar contributions that were agreed upon when the project is agreed.

Want to know more ?

You can start the ball rolling simply by completing our Expression Of Interest Form which will allow us to identify suitable staff members who can then contact you to discuss the feasibility of your idea. Please also take the time to read our 'summary of expectations' on the next tab, which outlines what the scope of such a project association would entail on both sides.